HPD reminds residents on rules about ATV's

Posted:
Wednesday, June 12, 2013 10:56 PM EDT

HANNIBAL, Mo. (WGEM) -

The complaints are rolling in. Hannibal residents want ATV's to stay out of the city. Wednesday, Hannibal Police reminded people what is and isn't legal when it comes to ATV's within city limits. Hannibal Police say complaints about ATV's on the road and on private property have picked up as the weather has gotten nicer.

While it's legal to ride an ATV on your property, it's illegal to ride on city streets or someone else's private property. Lt. John Zerbonia said a ticket will cost $130 per offense. He said the reason ATV's aren't allowed on streets is because it's a danger to the drivers.

"A lot of them don't have turn signals, they operate at a high rate of speed. They're hard to see like a motorcycle. Operating off on the streets onto the off road and come back on it. It's just a danger to drivers and pedestrians," he said.

Despite the increased complaints in the summer, Zerbonia said the amount of tickets the department has issued has been cut in half since 2010.

If there are any complaints on private property, Zerbonia said the individual has to press charges before the police can intervene.